Chapter Four
Between Greer’s magic hands and Nessa’s dragon’s healing powers, the ache in her chest was gone by morning, and her legs had totally healed. As much as Nessa had wanted to return to her apartment last night, her father had been against it. Greer suggested Nessa stay with her for the next few days, and she had reluctantly agreed. As fun as it was to catch up with her sister, Nessa was too independent to have someone watch her all the time.
Once Greer went into work, Nessa headed to the mine. Needing to discuss a few things with her father, she knocked on his office door and stepped inside.
He looked up from his large wood desk and smiled. “Hey, sweetheart.” He came around his desk and gave her a hug. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel great, which is what I want to talk to you about.” She sat in the chair facing him while her dad leaned a hip on the edge of his desk.
“What’s up?”
“As nice as it was to stay with Greer last night, I’d feel more comfortable in my own apartment.” Nessa didn’t need his permission, but ever since Kyle Harper appeared in her life, she doubted her ability to think clearly.
“I’m surprised you’d want to stay alone. You’re the one who said the explosion was sabotage. Since they failed to kill you, they might try again.”
“If someone is targeting me, I want whoever it is to try again. It might be the only way we can capture him.”
Her father slipped off the desk and looked down at her with the most soulful eyes. He leaned over and rubbed his hands down her arms. “My brave Nessa. When will you realize you don’t have to carry the weight of the realm on your shoulders?”
“I’m not.” Not much anyway. “I need to find out if anyone knows anything about the explosion. Someone must have seen or heard something, even if they don’t realize it.”
Her father straightened. “Nessa, do not get involved. Not only is it dangerous, the investigation is a job for the police and the Mining Consortium.”
She had no intention of sitting on the sideline while others tried to do what she was perfectly capable of figuring out for herself. “Sure.” Not.
“Good.”
Oh, shit. “With everything that happened, I forgot to tell you that I found a vein of gold so big it will rock all of Tarradon—no pun intended.”
He scowled. “That’s wonderful, but I’ve decided we’re not going down there again. It’s too dangerous.”
That was the last reaction she expected. “Are you kidding me? The find could be worth millions. We could buy more land with that money. I also know you’ve wanted to reforest the ten thousand acres to the west of us.”
“That mine is bad luck, and you know perfectly well we can afford to reforest the land without any gold mine. I just need some time to get to it.”
He’d never believed in back luck before—or good luck for that matter. Once this mess was cleared up, he’d change his mind. “After we find the culprit, we’ll talk.”
“There is no we about it. Someone else will investigate. I need you to stay safe. I want to be able to sleep at night.” He squatted in front of her and clasped her hands in his big ones. “You gave us a huge scare, sweetheart.” His words were thick with emotion. “Your mother and I don’t want to go through that again. Ever.”
She blew out a breath. “I admit I was scared a few times, but it wasn’t like I was helpless.”
“I know.” Her dad stood and returned to his corner of the desk. It was as if he needed a moment to think. “Look, if you feel compelled to do something with your time, how about checking out the rest of the mines in the next few days? No one will be working them, and it will give you an opportunity to run safety checks. You’ve been asking for time to do that for a while.”
Her mind wasn’t on that work now, but if she told him she had no intention of letting the incompetent Mining Consortium handle things, he’d probably ask Birk to stay by her side. “Great idea, Dad. I’ll do that.”
As much as she trusted a few of the men in the Avondale Provincial Police—specifically her detective cousin, Anderson Caspian—an insider like herself would have a better chance of learning the truth.
She’d almost made it out of his office when her father called to her. “Don’t forget that Kyle Harper is not the enemy. He didn’t set the charge that nearly killed you. He wants to find the answers as much as we do.”
She highly doubted that. The Mining Consortium was created and basically run by the Royals. The man would be biased. After all, if he found his employers guilty, he’d lose his job. “I know.”
Nessa headed out, but she didn’t go to the other mines like her dad had suggested. Instead, she wanted to check out the collapsed mine herself, if for no other reason than for closure. She was the demolition expert. If anyone could locate where the charges had been set, it would be her.
Wanting to test whether her wings had healed enough, she shifted and was pleased that she was able to soar upward. The first few wing flaps were painful, but the joy from the rush of the wind across her snout was worth the small ache. She was alive, and that was all that mattered—that and finding the bastard who’d done this to her family.
When the gold mine—as she liked to call it—came into sight, she landed. The moment she shifted back into her human form, waves of lust hit her a second before she spotted Kyle Harper.
Damn it. Why would Fate pair the two of them? Kyle Harper didn’t even like her kind. He might say sabotage was involved, but she could see it in his eyes that he wanted her family to be guilty.
Seduce him and then we’ll find out if he wants us, her dragon chimed in.
That wasn’t going to happen. Nessa wasn’t up for the rejection. It didn’t matter that she found him hot. Hell, it was hard enough to keep her libido in check just being around him let alone if she flirted with him.
Kyle must have sensed her presence because just then he turned around and strode toward her. Was that a hint of a smile? Probably not. Most likely he’d tell her to leave—that this was his investigation. He dragged what she would call an appreciative glance up and down her entire body, and heat swamped her.
“Nessa, you’re looking better.”
“I’m feeling better too.” If she had any idea that Kyle would be at the site, she wouldn’t have come. On the other hand, if they were destined for each other, she didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot, so she painted on a smile. “How can I help you?”
He cocked a brow and then relaxed. “How about telling me what happened down in the mine?”
That was a reasonable request. Once she explained the series of events, he’d see that she’d done nothing wrong. “Several days ago, after the tunnel was complete, the men installed the mine elevator. It was tested and proven to be safe so I figured it was time to go down and have a look.”
“If it was so safe, why not ask others to go with you?”
She appreciated that his tone wasn’t accusatory. “All of the walls hadn’t been tested for stability. Besides, I didn’t need help to look for veins of metal.”
He nodded. “Go on.”
“Once I checked out the area to my satisfaction, I headed back to the elevator to return to the surface. I was maybe fifteen feet from the cage door when the world caved in on me. My dragon shifted to protect me from the blast, but even so, I was thrown against the wall.” One of her biggest regrets was that the sample she’d been carrying had been lost.
His brows pinched, and his lips thinned. Hell, he acted as if he cared. “I can’t believe you survived. I’m guessing the explosives must have been planted fairly close to the surface or you would have been buried alive.”
She had basically been buried. It surprised and slightly delighted her that they were on the same page. “I was thinking that too.”
Kyle stepped closer, and her brain short-circuited for a moment. His beautiful eyes turned a darker shade of blue, and his nostrils flared. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he was checking her out and finding her acceptable.
Mate, mate, her dragon chimed in.
Not now.
“Did you notice any kind of tripwire that would have caused the charge to go off?” he asked. She shook her head. “Did you have any cameras installed to monitor the mine’s building process? Maybe they caught someone on tape.”
A trickle of embarrassment seeped in. “I wish. The cameras were scheduled to be installed after I made my initial assessment of the mine’s viability. Once we begin any operation, we keep the area well lit and the cameras running all the time. Since this was not a functioning mine yet, those safeguards were not in place.”
“I see.”
Even she had to admit that Kyle appeared to be keeping an open-mind. As much as she should dislike him, she was finding it more and more difficult. It wasn’t helping that when he drew in his bottom lip, she found it so freaking sexy.
What was wrong with her? This was more than being in lust. It was downright messing with her mind and her body.
“How long had you planned to stay down there to check things out?” Kyle asked.
Nessa looked over at the large hole that had once been the shaft. “Two hours max.”
“Hmm. Then how would this person know when to set the charge? The window of opportunity was small.”
She shook her head. “He wouldn’t. I only decided at the last minute to go down that afternoon.”
“Someone must have followed you.”
No one followed her. Kyle must think she was totally incompetent to ask that. “I would have noticed.” His brows rose. “Oh, shit.”
“What is it?” He leaned forward.
“A dragon shifter could have cloaked himself and hovered above the mine. Normally, I can sense his presence, but I was so focused on exploring that I wasn’t really paying attention to what was above me.”
He scribbled something on his tablet. “That helps. I think. On a different note, could you tell from the sound or the strength of the blast what type of detonation was used?”
As much as she didn’t want to tell him, he’d know if she lied. Everyone in her family knew the moment she made something up. “It’s probably what we use here. The XY21 brand we use is strong yet accurate. Because it’s so expensive, we and the Sinclairs are the only two mines in this province that use it.”
“You’re that sure it was the same brand?” he asked.
“Fairly certain. As a dragon shifter, I can tell the difference between sounds quite well.”
“Even though you were taken off guard?”
Nessa lifted her chin. “Yes. I’m particularly sensitive to vibrations too.”
“Got it.” He made another note. “Could this person have raided your storage locker then? Or would he have been able to buy this brand someplace else?”
“He could buy it elsewhere, but it makes the most sense that he’d take the sticks from here. He wouldn’t know when to detonate them unless, as I said, he was watching me from above.”
“Who has access to this storage unit?”
The sun bounced off his eyes, distracting her once more. He inhaled and straightened his shoulders. Okay, he was trying to distract her. “Uh, only three people. Other than me, only my dad and Acton Draco, my new second-in-command knew the combination to get into the shed. I know for a fact Acton was in another province at the time of the detonation. He was purchasing more explosives.”
“Then it had to be someone else.”
Kyle was actually listening to her! Her inner dragon cheered. “Yes.”
“I know demolition experts, like yourself, have a signature, if you will,” he said. “If you could find the location of the detonation and see how it was rigged, would that narrow down the suspect pool?”
“I can’t be sure. The only thing I’m certain about is that this person isn’t human.”
His eyes softened, and she swore he licked his lips to entice her. “How do you know that?”
“The electricity to the elevator wasn’t turned on until the morning of my descent. To set the charge meant someone would have needed to fly down the shaft, implant the charges, and return the same way. Only a dragon shifter could have done that.”
“Why have an elevator in the first place then?” he asked.
“Because humans and other shifters needed access to the mine once production began.”
“I see. It makes sense then that a dragon shifter is most likely responsible.”
From the way his lips firmed, he wasn’t fond of them. Great.
“Yes, but even if we find where the charges were set, considering the level of destruction, I doubt I can identify the person who did this,” she said.
“Don’t be so sure. If we can find the box that held the charges, there might be fingerprints on it. Maybe we can trace it back that way.”
Nessa’s partially shifted her hands, and Kyle jumped back. His eyes widened and changed to a richer change of blue. “Holy shit. How did you do that?”
Damn. She shouldn’t have demonstrated without explaining first. He already disliked her kind. Now he’d think she was trying to antagonize him or something. Her lack of judgment had to be a result of being too close to Kyle. Her hormones were interfering with everything. Nessa quickly returned her hands to their human form.
When he shoved his fingers through his dark brown silky hair—hair that she wanted to touch—her nails sharpened. Jeez.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. I only wanted to show you that we can open boxes without leaving fingerprints.”
“You didn’t scare me. I was a bit startled, that’s all. So basically, any dragon shifter could have set the charges?”
His defeatist attitude didn’t help. “Yes. We have cameras pointing at the building where we keep the explosives, so that might help.” His eyes brightened, and she’d never seen anything more beautiful or alluring.
“Can I check that out?”
The normally skeptic Nessa would have said no, but it was as if her dragon had put some kind of spell on her. “Sure. I’d love to catch the bastard in the act.”
“Fantastic.” Then he had to go and smile and light up every one of her cells—including her purple dragon scales under her skin. Damn him.
“We’ll need to go back to the office.”
He glanced around. “Great. Can I give you a lift?”
Maybe he hadn’t seen her fly in. She could say yes, but being in a confined space with him might cause more issues. “I’ll just fly back, thanks.” She smiled to show him she wasn’t a horrible person. “I can give you a ride if you’d like though. We can pick up your car later.”
No, no, no! She didn’t just offer that! Her mind must have been seriously affected by the blast.
It didn’t matter. He’d never agree. Her cousin Kaleena had told her about her mate’s first ride with her dad. Her mate, Finn, had screamed. And that man was a shifter—albeit a wolf shifter.
“For real?”
Oh, shit. He sounded interested. “Yes, but I fly rather high.”
She had to admit that when they weren’t talking about the mine, Kyle Harper was fun to be with.
He waved a hand. “Um, I think it’s better if I take my car. I’d just have to come back and pick it up.”
Aha. She figured he’d chicken out. That was okay. Holding him in her talons would have tested her resolve to the max. “See you back at the office then.”
When Nessa shifted into her dragon form, Kyle couldn’t help but stare at her grace and beauty. Then an image of his sister’s burnt back came into his mind’s eye, and he quickly sobered. Dragon shifters might seem normal on the outside, but they were not to be trusted.
Or could they be? Nessa Caspian had been open and honest with him. She’d told him things that implied she’d been careless in not installing cameras or making sure the storage locker was better secured. So maybe, she was one of the good ones. Nessa sure as hell was the prettiest dragon he’d ever seen. He bet those khaki pants and that baggy shirt hid a killer body too.
His cock hardened at that thought. Shit.
As for going for a ride with her, he had been tempted, but if he liked it, he’d be one step closer to earning his way into hell. Kyle Harper with a dragon shifter? No way. If he weakened and fell for Nessa, his sister would never forgive him. While it was his life to live, he didn’t like heaping more pain on Lily.
As he turned to go back to his car, the sight of the collapsed mine caught his attention once more, and his admiration for Nessa grew. When she had told him how she’d managed to claw her way toward the surface with injured legs and a damaged wing, he had to admit the girl had guts. Most humans would have given up.
The more he was around Nessa, the more he was changing his mind about dragons in general. Some were bad, like the one Lily had dated, but he wasn’t so blind that he couldn’t see that some humans were just as evil—like serial killers. Just as there were other humans who gave their lives to help others, there might be good dragon shifters who did the same.
Or was he now rationalizing because Nessa was hot? Fuck, he was so confused.
Not wanting to keep her waiting, he jogged to his car then headed to the office. He didn’t need to piss her off, especially since she was giving him the chance to find whoever might be responsible for these incidents.
Once he arrived at the main office, he spotted the mounted camera above the door. Good. Having surveillance would hopefully solve this case sooner rather than later. But why hadn’t Dennis been given access when he’d investigated the first incident? Maybe he had, but he hadn’t found anything. Kyle would have to ask him.
He knocked on the office door, and Nessa opened it up right away. For a split second, he allowed himself the luxury of drinking her in. She was tall for a woman—about three inches shorter than his six foot two height—but then again, most dragons came large. And strong. But what he hadn’t heard was how beautiful they could be. Her long black hair was windblown and contrasted nicely with her warm, tanned skin. Her most striking characteristic by far was the color of her devastatingly beautiful green eyes that he’d seen morph into purple. Even her full lips and straight nose were just about perfect.
His cock pressed hard against his zipper once more. He worked to halt the testosterone coursing through his system, but he failed miserably. Damn, working side by side with Nessa was going to be rough.
“Come on in. The camera monitoring room is in the basement.”
She sounded professional. Good. He could deal with that. Kyle followed her down several wide corridors, trying not to watch how her black hair swayed and caressed her body.
From the outside, the building didn’t appear large, but looks were clearly deceiving. They came to an elevator about one hundred feet from the entrance.
“It’s down a few floors,” she said.
“How big is this complex?” Talking about facts would help keep his mind focused where it belonged.
“Big.” She laughed and something inside him heated. Damn it.
Cute. Once they entered the small elevator, her scent permeated his senses. Nessa didn’t seem the type to wear perfume, but she smelled like a gardenia—fragrant yet delicate.
She smoothed her hair. “Ah, you’re staring,” she said. “Is something wrong?”
Damn. “No. I’m just thinking about something. Sorry.” That was lame, but thankfully she didn’t question him further.
Several seconds later, they arrived deep underground. “It’s to the right,” she said, moving her gaze away, almost as if she were uncomfortable being here with him.
Even though there were no windows, the space was so well-lit that it didn’t seem depressing or confining. Halfway down the hallway, Nessa knocked and then pushed open a door. She led him inside a small room that contained a bank of monitors. Seated in front of one screen was a man who looked to be about twenty-five.
He turned around. “Hey, Nessa, how are you doing? I haven’t seen you since…well, you know.”
“I’m fine. Thanks for asking. Vic, this is Kyle Harper, the head of the Mining Consortium.”
Vic shoved back his chair, stood, and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. I’ve worked with Dennis Taylor.”
“Great.”
“I want to check out the tapes of the storage room holding the explosives,” Nessa said. “Can you pull them up for us?”
“How far back should I go?”
Nessa turned to Kyle. “What do you think?”
He loved that she was willing to have his input. It was almost as if they weren’t on opposite sides anymore. “Two months maybe?”
She twisted her lips into a sexy pose. “Why that far back?” she asked.
“If what you claim is true, it’s possible whoever was responsible for the first explosion came into the storage room, tampered with the explosives, and then stole extra ones.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
He appreciated that she would admit that. “Do you keep records of how much is removed on a daily basis?”
Nessa glanced to the side. “Yes and no. I mean, we’re supposed to document everything, and I’m usually the one to take them—or Wendan was. But after his death, I kind of lost control of things for a while.” She sucked in a big breath through gritted teeth. “Shit. I’m sorry.”
Poor Nessa. The man’s death had shaken her. “Let’s take a look at the tapes and see what comes up.”
“Do you want me to stay?” Vic asked.
“Go ahead and take a break. I imagine we’ll be here for a few hours. I’ll keep my eye on the rest of the stations.”
He smiled. “Thanks.”
Be with Nessa for a few hours? Kyle wasn’t sure he could keep from daydreaming about her. As much as he wanted to think of her as the enemy, by not hiding anything, she was making it damned hard for him. To make matters worse, her delicious scent and sensuous movements made him want to know what was underneath that boring beige uniform of hers.
Nessa looked over at him. “This will be tedious. If you want, I can look through them first.”
He smiled. “Nice try, but I want to see what you do.”
As if she’d hope he’d say that, she returned his smile, and his damn cock turned stiff again. He shifted in his seat. “Let’s do it.”